MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS

Across the experiments in this thesis, moderate amounts of practice led to the acquisition of successful performance on the novel computer-based task. In Experiment 2 (Chapter 2) and 3 (Chapter 3), the practice groups demonstrated superior task

performance at the post-test when compared to the control groups and pre-test, whereas there were no significant between-group differences at pre-test. Consistent findings were found in Experiment 4 (Chapter 3) and Experiment 5 (Chapter 4), demonstrating that practice in a condition that required perceptual-cognitive-motor processing led to a greater frequency of successful trials in the post-test compared with pre-test. In

Experiment 3 (Chapter 3), the practice group modified their visual search behaviours and decision making processes across practice, demonstrating the underlying processes of successful performance on the task. Across practice, they reduced the frequency of

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saccades, increased goal-directed saccades, reduced TED, increased smooth pursuit, and increased the frequency of condition-action pairs containing more condition and action concepts, when compared to the control group who did not exhibit any change in visual search behaviours and decision making processes.

In Experiment 4 (Chapter 3), limiting or constraining the underlying visual and/or decision making processes during practice led to no increase in the frequency of successful trials between pre- and post-test, even though both PM and M groups improved performance on their own task during practice and were exposed to the similar motor process of cursor movement to their yoked partners in the PCM group. This finding confirms the importance of having access to relevant underlying processes during practice. The PM group had similar visual information available during practice when compared to the PCM group. They reduced the frequency of saccades and used more goal-directed saccades between the pre- and post-test, in a similar manner to the PCM group. In contrast, the M group had key visual information missing during practice and, as a consequence, their visual search behaviours did not differ between pre- and post-test. In addition, both the PM and M group had no requirement to make decisions to avoid the moving objects and select successful cursor trajectories during practice and, subsequently, did not increase the amount of condition-action pairs or concepts from pre- to post-test. Experiment 5 (Chapter 4) replicated the findings from Experiment 4. Decoupling cognitive decision making process during practice attenuated skill acquisition. Moreover, the PM practice condition enabled participants to acquire similar visual search behaviours to the PCM practice condition. Together, these findings across experiments show that the acquisition of visual search behaviours and cognitive processes was specific to the available information and processing required during practice.

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The transfer effect was shown in Experiment 5 and 6 (Chapter 4). In Experiment 5, the target practice group demonstrated superior task performance in the transfer-test of the no target task when compared to the target-yoked group. In Experiment 6, the no target practice group demonstrated superior task performance in the transfer-test of the target task when compared to the no target yoked group. The positive transfer effect was shown again in Experiment 7 where the transfer-test performance of the target group on the no target task was greater than the pre-test performance of the other groups on the same task, despite being the first attempt on the task by each group. Similarly, the transfer-test performance of the no target group on the target task was superior when compared to the pre-test performance of the other groups on that task. Together,

findings in Chapter 4 demonstrated that practice on one of the two tasks significantly improved performance on the other task beyond novice levels, thus showing evidence for the transfer effect.

In Experiment 5 and 6 (Chapter 4), the underlying mechanisms of the transfer effect were examined by measuring visual search behaviours and cognitive processes. In Experiment 5, the target group demonstrated fewer saccades in the vertical direction in the transfer-test on the no target task when compared to the target-yoked group.

Similarly, in Experiment 6, the no target group exhibited more goal-directed visual search behaviours in the transfer-test on the target task when compared to the no target yoked group. Findings demonstrate that acquired visual search behaviours from one task underpinned the transfer in performance on the other task. However, in both experiments, there were no significant differences between groups for the frequency of condition-action pairs in the transfer-test, although decoupling the cognitive decision making process during practice did not lead to successful transfer. One interpretation for the lack of between-group differences in cognitive decision making processing is that it

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might not underpin successful transfer between tasks, as the rule-governed processes for decision making are specific to the task practiced.

Further evidence for the transfer effect was shown in Experiment 7. There was no difference between the post-test performance of the target group and transfer-test performance of the no target group on the target task. Additionally, there was no difference between the post-test performance of the no target group and transfer-test performance of the target group on the no target task. Findings show that practice on the primary task improved performance on that task from pre- to post-test, but did not differ to transfer effect from the other task.